Check out my current CV!
Here are the photos
from Lancaster University JSOC
activities the during the Chaplaincy Centre's 30th anniversary celebrations,
30th April to 2nd May, 1999.
G u e s t b o o k : Sign Guestbook
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Stuff about me:
I'm originally from Manchester in the northwest of England but I'm now living in north London.
Two years ago, I returned from Cyprus where I was working in commercial electronics. I'm 39, Jewish and very happily married - we got married on 10th April 2000 - (definitely
not looking any more :o) ). In my spare time (not much at the moment),
I'm into Amateur Radio and messing about with my PC .
I was also the Station Manager (fancy name for cleaner and general dogsbody)
of the WSBA Amateur Radio Club (ZC4EPI) but I'm
not currently active there. My UK callsigns are GØXFT and G8XFT.
On Saturday, 5 Sep 99, a wonderful thing happened. Having found my true other half after years of hoping, but missing the obvious, Deb answered 'yes' to that all important question. We got married on 10 Apr 2000.
Thank you, Deb, for making me so happy by just being there!
Amateur Radio:
I obtained my first licence in September 1980 with the UK callsign
of G8XFT which is a Class 'B' licence . In 1989 during
my first stint in Cyprus, I was granted 5B4ZL. I also spent a few months
in the Falkland Islands where I operated as VP8CQJ. While I was in Cyprus,
I upgraded my UK call to GØXFT and I also obtained the SBA
call of ZC4ZL.
Cyprus:
(Picture courtesy of Microsoft Encarta 96)
A brief potted history: In 1960, Cyprus,
which had been under British rule for nearly 100 years, gained its independence
and became the Republic of Cyprus. However, under the Treaty of Establishment,
Britain retained two areas, known as the Sovereign Base Areas (SBAs) which
have their own administration and are effectively bits of Britain within
Cyprus. In the west of the island, just west of Limassol, is found the
WSBA while in the east, the ESBA is bounded by Larnaca in the west, Famagusta
in the north and Ayia Napa in the south.
Callsigns:
Amateur Radio differs from CB in many respects,
one of which is that while CBers choose there own "handle" (CB jargon for
a radio nickname), Radio Amateurs are identified by unique combinations
of letters - the callsign - issued by the licensing authority of the country
in which they are licensed. The call consists of two parts - a prefix and
a suffix. The suffix is a sequentially issued set of two or three letters
which specifically identify the licensee within a specific licence class
group. The prefixes are often the same as those used on civil aircraft
in those countries and indicate the country of issue and either the licence
class or the region of the country where the licensee is operating from,
depending on the policy of the appropriate licensing authority. To use
my callsigns as an example, we see:
GØXFT - prefix = GØ where
G is England and Ø is class A, and XFT is the suffix.
VP8CQJ - prefix = VP8 which is Falkland
Islands, CQJ is the suffix.
5B4ZL - prefix = 5B4 where 5B is the Republic
of Cyprus and 4 is class A, and ZL is the suffix.
ZC4ZL - prefix = ZC4 where ZC4 is the SBAs,
and ZL is the suffix.
Note that, for Amateur Radio purposes,
the Republic and the SBAs are regarded as totally separate countries. In
general, if you are a permanent resident (over three months for licensing
purposes) of a country, you need to obtain a new licence to operate in
that country. So, if you spend long periods in different countries with
your job or whatever, you can end up with many callsigns.
For residency periods of less than three
months, reciprocal licensing facilities exist under CEPT
or local arrangements. Some countries' administrations also permit reciprocal
licensing for periods in excess of three months.
Licence Classes:
There are essentially two classes of licence worldwide. The 'A' (CEPT
Class 1) licence requires the licensee to have passed a written test on
basic theory and electronics and a Morse Code test, usually to a standard
of about 12 words per minute (some countries have lower initial speeds).
This gives the individual operating privileges on certain allocated bands
on HF (shortwave) and at VHF, UHF and above. The 'B' licence (CEPT Class
2) does not require a Morse test and generally offers the same privileges
but without access to HF. In some countries, such as the US, 'incentive
licensing' schemes operate whereby licensees can upgrade in stages (the
US currently has in excess of five classes) such that passing more involved
exams and/or Morse tests at higher speeds grants improved privileges.
Due to the new licensing arragements due the abolition of the Morse test requirement, the above is now a little out of date and will be updated shortly.
WSBA Amateur Radio Club:
The WSBA ARC was located at Episkopi, about 15 miles (24km) from Limassol.
The membership is very small at the moment and the club is currently not
active due to the loss of its accommodation. Club night is Thursday night
when a net is activated to UK and beyond on 14.170 MHz at 1830z. The net
is still active and you may hear ZC4RAF or ZC4ATC depending on propagation
and other commitments. The net is specifically for RAFARS members, although
RSARS and RNARS members are also welcome. It usually lasts for about an
hour after which time contacts can be made with the club on its own callsign,
ZC4EPI, or with one of the club members.
CEPT:
This is the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunication Administrations
- a European Union body which seeks to harmonise postal and telecommunications
standards. Many countries outside the EU, indeed some outside Europe, have
also implemented some CEPT policies.
PC:
It's a AMD Athlon XP 2600+ with 1.5GB RAM, 200GB HD, Audigy, LAN and V.92 modem.
Station:
2m/70cm - Icom IC-2710 (50/35W to dualband mobile whip).
All bands/modes - HF-70cm - Yaesu FT-847 - plus various mpbile whips.
Links:
Nothing much here yet but here are a few:
You are visitor number
[Page last updated on 12th February 2004]
